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This week’s Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report follows host Luke Barton through one of the most memorable late-summer days of the season, then shifts into a practical cobia and Spanish mackerel report from the Virginia Beach oceanfront. Luke talks with Capt. Michael Hosang of Fishing4mortgages about Luke’s first serious spearfishing trip, an exceptional day of cobia and mahi action, the equipment and communication that went into the dives, and why conservative dive practices matter even when conditions look perfect.
In the second half, Capt. Kenny Mills of Sea Shift Sportfishing breaks down the late-season cobia migration, a remarkable recapture of one of his own tagged fish, his streamlined Spanish mackerel trolling spread, and the unusually tropical mix of mahi and even sailfish showing up close to the Virginia Beach shoreline. The episode closes with Kenny sharing an elaborate charter-boat prank that had him convinced a guest and his mate were about to turn a fishing trip into a fight.
Conditions Recap
Early September is producing an unusual combination of late-summer fishing opportunities around the Lower Chesapeake Bay and Virginia Beach oceanfront. The day Luke spent with Capt. Michael Hosang started with frustrating current and silted-up water around several buoys, but conditions improved dramatically as they moved. By the time they reached productive structure, they found exceptionally clear blue water, stretches of top-to-bottom visibility, light current, abundant bait, and very little boat traffic.
Those conditions put cobia, mahi, spadefish, barracuda, false albacore, amberjack, and other species in view around nearshore structure and farther offshore. Luke and Michael encountered multiple cobia, including one fish Luke estimated at 65 pounds or better, plus several large bull mahi in an area where fish that size are rarely encountered so close to shore. They also saw a sea turtle feeding on a horseshoe crab, large pods of dolphins, and a rainbow runner around the windmill structures.
Capt. Kenny Mills reports that cobia remain a major target as the fish begin their late-season movement out of the bay and along the oceanfront. Spanish mackerel are also providing dependable action, with small mahi showing up in water as shallow as roughly 10 to 30 feet while anglers troll for mackerel. Kenny also discussed a recent small sailfish caught near the beach. Luke added that there have been anecdotal reports of other fast-moving pelagic fish pushing bait near the oceanfront, making the next several weeks worth watching as warm water, clean water, and concentrated bait continue to overlap.
Spearfishing the Lower Chesapeake Bay With Capt. Michael Hosang
Capt. Michael Hosang of Fishing4mortgages finally got Luke Barton in the water for the cobia-spearfishing trip they had discussed for months. Michael, who also works in residential lending with Atlantic Coast Mortgage, brought a full assortment of spearfishing equipment and approached the day with a strong emphasis on redundancy, communication, and having backup options when a fish gets tangled in structure.
Michael’s gear included multiple spearguns, including a shortened 75-centimeter Rob Allen gun he uses as a smaller “kill gun,” a larger older speargun for cobia, reels, heavy shooting line, Dyneema backing, a weight belt, multiple dive knives, a mask and snorkel, and a quick-release backup reel. His smaller gun is fitted with a Riffe-style dual-flopper point and a reel so a powerful fish has line to take rather than simply ripping the gun away. Michael said his primary shooting line is 400-pound mono connected to 1,000-pound Dyneema on the reel.
Before anyone entered the water, Luke and Michael reviewed the boat’s systems and emergency gear so each person understood how to operate the boat if the other became incapacitated. Luke also tracked Michael’s dive times from the boat during early dives and watched closely for where he would surface. That planning became important once Michael shot a cobia around tower structure and the fish repeatedly wrapped line around the metal framework.
A Hard-Fighting Cobia Around the Tower
After several unproductive buoys, Michael and Luke found cleaner water and eventually reached a tower holding a group of cobia. Michael missed his first opportunity with a rushed shot that only nicked a fish near the tail, but the school stayed nearby. He reloaded, moved into position, used his “squid fingers” hand motion to draw curious cobia closer, and put a solid shot through another fish.
The fight immediately became a lesson in why spearfishing around structure requires a plan. The cobia ran through the tower and wrapped the shooting line around metal rungs covered in barnacles and other sharp growth. Michael reduced pressure to avoid cutting the line, had Luke bring him a buoy so the gun could be secured, and later used the second gun to place another shot when the fish continued fighting.
The cobia measured roughly 48 to 49 inches and fought far harder than Michael expected for its size. Luke described watching Michael get pulled back and forth as the fish repeatedly returned to the bottom. Once the fish was controlled, Michael bled and cleaned it in the water before bringing it aboard, keeping much of the mess out of the boat and immediately beginning the fish-care process.
Luke Barton’s First Bull Mahi on a Speargun
Luke’s first major opportunity came when he dove the tower and encountered an enormous cobia near the structure. He estimated the fish at 65 pounds or better after reviewing the GoPro footage later. Luke passed on the shot because he was already well into the dive, did not feel comfortable with the fish’s position around the structure, and was not confident he could safely manage the fight. When he surfaced and went back down, the fish was gone.
That missed opportunity was quickly replaced by one of the most unusual catches of the season. At another buoy, Luke entered the water and saw five large bull mahi swimming nearby. Instead of shooting immediately, he followed the school, filmed the fish, identified the largest one, and waited until it turned broadside. He then put a clean shot through the fish and fought it back to the boat.
Luke estimated the mahi at roughly 20 to 25 pounds, an exceptional fish to encounter that close to shore and an extraordinary first major spearfishing catch. Michael later found another group of bull mahi at a different buoy and harvested two more. The pair eventually returned to the tower, where Luke attempted another cobia shot but learned how deceptive underwater distance can be when the spear reached the end of its shooting line before reaching the fish.
Spearfishing Safety, Shallow-Water Blackout, and Dive Discipline
One of the most important parts of Michael’s report was his repeated emphasis on dive safety. He recommends formal freedive training, a true buddy system, conservative dive times, and clear communication before anyone enters the water. Michael said that when he does not have another trained diver in the water capable of providing direct backup, he intentionally reduces both depth and breath-hold duration rather than treating a person on the boat as a substitute for a dive buddy.
Michael also discussed shallow-water blackout, a loss of consciousness that can occur near the surface at the end of a breath-hold dive. His practical message was not to chase personal depth or breath-hold limits, especially while fighting current, pursuing a fish, or diving without another trained diver immediately available. Because a blackout can occur with little useful warning and a weighted diver can sink after losing consciousness, buddy procedures and conservative limits are critical.
Nutrition and hydration also mattered during the long day. Michael kept food intake light while diving and used carbohydrates and electrolytes to maintain energy. Luke specifically mentioned Honey Stinger Energy Waffles and an electrolyte/BCAA drink as two things that helped him recover during the 13-plus-hour day.
Late-Season Cobia With Capt. Kenny Mills of Sea Shift Sportfishing
Capt. Kenny Mills of Sea Shift Sportfishing has been grinding on cobia aboard his 24-foot Privateer out of Rudee Inlet. As late August gives way to September, Kenny expects to see another concentrated movement of fish as cobia begin leaving the bay and working along the oceanfront.
Kenny keeps several presentations ready because fish can respond differently from one encounter to the next. His primary artificials this summer have been Invincible Jigs paired with paddle-tail style soft plastics, which allow him to change retrieve speed and keep the lure swimming naturally without constant aggressive jigging. When menhaden are available close to shore, he likes matching the hatch with live bait. He also keeps eels aboard because they are hardy and dependable in a simple bait bucket.
When Kenny knows a cobia is undersized, he prefers throwing artificials rather than natural bait because it reduces the risk of deep hooking a fish he intends to release. Sea Shift also tags many short fish and additional fish caught after the crew has reached its harvest limit.
Sea Shift Recaptures One of Its Own Tagged Cobia
Kenny recently experienced one of the rarest rewards of a tagging program when his son caught a cobia carrying one of Sea Shift’s own green tags. The fish had originally been tagged roughly a year and a half to two years earlier and had grown about five inches before being recaptured.
Even more interesting, Kenny has already had tags from his program recovered by other local captains. His long-term hope is that one of his tagged cobia will eventually be recovered in another state, providing another data point on how Chesapeake cobia move after leaving Virginia waters.
Kenny also recalled catching a tagged cobia that had originally been marked near Pensacola, Florida. That kind of recovery illustrates how far individual fish can travel and why tagging can be so useful for understanding migration. At the same time, Kenny cautioned that a single tag recovery does not reveal the entire migration route or prove that every Chesapeake cobia follows the same path.
Spanish Mackerel Trolling Setup and How Sea Shift Avoids Tangles
Spanish mackerel remain a dependable option for shorter trips, and Kenny keeps his trolling program intentionally simple. He runs Original Clarkspoons behind inline weights ranging from roughly one to five ounces instead of relying heavily on planers. On his center console, he uses heavier inline weights on shorter lines, lighter weights farther back, and a couple of lighter presentations from the tower to cover different positions and depths.
Leader length can range from about five feet to nearly 20 feet behind the weight. When a fish is hooked, the angler reels until the weight reaches the rod tip area, then stops. Kenny or his mate grabs the leader while the angler points the rod directly out from the side of the boat. That keeps the inline weight away from the cockpit while the fish is hand-lined the rest of the way in.
The next step is what keeps the spread manageable. Once the fish is dehooked, Kenny immediately throws the Clarkspoon back into the water while the boat remains in gear. Water pressure pulls the lure away from the boat and helps the leader untwist before the line is reset. Kenny said that simple rhythm, reel to the weight, point the rod out, hand-line the fish, dehook, and immediately put the spoon back in the water, has dramatically reduced the tangled messes that can develop during a fast Spanish bite.
Mahi, Sailfish, and Other Pelagics Close to the Beach
One of the most interesting parts of Kenny’s report is the mix of fish appearing unusually close to shore. Sea Shift has caught small “flip-flop” mahi while trolling for Spanish mackerel in approximately 10 to 30 feet of water, and another boat recently caught a small sailfish near the same general oceanfront zone.
Luke connected that report with the crystal-clear water he and Michael encountered around the Chesapeake Light Tower and with recent observations of extremely fast fish chasing bait near the Virginia Beach oceanfront. Those additional tuna-like sightings remain unconfirmed, but the broader pattern is clear: bait is abundant, clean blue water has pushed unusually close to shore at times, and a variety of pelagic species are taking advantage of it.
Michael’s dive around the windmills reinforced the same theme. He saw amberjack and a rainbow runner, while the broader trip produced large mahi and cobia around offshore and nearshore structure. Luke and Kenny both expect the next several weeks to be interesting as late-summer species begin migrating and warm-water visitors continue to move through the area.
A Charter Prank Capt. Kenny Mills Will Not Forget
Kenny closed the episode with a story that initially sounded like a captain’s worst nightmare. A solo charter customer arrived unhappy about paying the normal boat rate, complained about the tackle, questioned why Kenny was running before putting lines in, criticized the mate when a Spanish mackerel came unhooked, and steadily became more confrontational.
The situation escalated until the customer and Kenny’s mate, who is also his brother-in-law, appeared to begin fighting on the deck while Kenny was in the tower running the boat. Other captains heard the argument over the radio and started moving closer in case Kenny needed help.
Then both men stopped and revealed the truth: they had served together in the 82nd Airborne, knew each other well, and had planned the entire performance as an elaborate prank on Kenny. The “difficult customer” had never been upset about the trip at all. Once the act was over, the group went back to fishing and caught a roughly 50- to 51-inch cobia within minutes. Kenny said the prank worked completely, and the only real disappointment was that much of the 360-camera footage became corrupted.
